Mary’s POV

After that night, grandmother would always ask me to invite Dak over.

“Honey, your friend is lonely, so this is what you should do.”

In my humble opinion, Dak didn’t look lonely or pitiful. Rather, he looked like a mad dog who would bite anyone who dared to come closer. However, after Dak’s father lost his adventurer badge, he has been trying to earn a living as a hunter. It seems that Croy would often go for hunting travels that lasted weeks, and while most of the recent times Dak would accompany him, this time specifically the boy stayed in Doveshire. According to grandma Alma, that’s why he was ‘lonely’.

“Since his father is not around, young Dak must have been eating alone all the time. It’s just the two of us anyway, there is no problem about feeding another mouth. Besides, it’s nice having a more lively atmosphere, don’t you think?”

It’s not like I would deny grandmother’s words. If she says the novel’s small villain is lonely, I shall believe it. After all, if there is someone who greatly understand other people’s hearts, that person is grandmother. Everybody should bow before grandmother Alma’s insight, it must be a supernatural power of hers. If I didn’t know better, having such a vast knowledge about people’s state of mind, I would think grandma was some kind of witch or something.

But grandmother’s background is normal, albeit a little complicated. She was once named Alma Brightowl, a girl from the family branch of the Silverhold City’s ruling household. They shared the same surname and it looks fancy, but the family branch’s members were nothing more than servants to those who were born in the main family.

Grandma’s father was the manager of a clothing store owned by the main family, while her mother was a seamstress working at the same store. Both grandmother and her older sister were training to be a seamstress as well, and soon enough it was reveled grandma’s great talent on it. It was to such an extent, that grandmother was hired to be the family head daughter’s personal dressmaker, and worked exclusively on the miss’ clothes.

Hmpf, of course grandmother is the best. But anyways, while working at the main house, she met the one who changed her life forever.

And contrary to what you may expect, it’s not my grandfather.

It was the Brightowl Family’s exclusive healer, who was also living in the house. Although saying exclusive is a little tricky, since he belonged to the Golden Clover Organization... But well, as long as the family could afford the high payment, the Brightowl name was as good as printed on the healer’s forehead.

According to grandmother, Jullian, the healer’s name, was a kind, amiable old man. When she couldn’t fallow the main family’s strict rules of noble etiquette, he was the one who helped her. She always talks of him with affection and nostalgia, an existence similar to a father to her.

She almost never spoke about her own biological father, though.

To be true, she never talked too much about her past at all. It seems she was being forced to marry someone. When grandma was in her darkest times, Jullian gave her the light that saved her. A magic healing rune. It was damaged and most likely wouldn’t work, but she tried anyways. That’s how grandmother, even without being affiliated to the Golden Clover Healers Organization, was able to become a healer. It’s true that the magic rune was weak and deemed useless by others, but it responded to her.

That’s what grandmother answered when I asked her about her story, but she never told anything regarding what happened between her and her family.

But... I have used appraisal on grandmother.

Name: Alma

Next to her name, there was a sad blank space.

In Accardi, most of the nations are ruled under a monarchy system. So we have the royal family, the nobles and the commoners. If you belong to a traditional noble lineage, or granted so by the king, you would have a family name, something that holds quite the prestige. Even in our Saran Kingdom, a country that encourages and cares about the individual talent, a family name still gives countless opportunities that a simple commoner could never acquire.

And if someone is dishonored by their family, for example... they wouldn’t have the right to carry that surname anymore.

I’m actually very curious about grandmother’s life, and I could ask around Silverhold City. While I’m sure I would be able to discover something, it would feel like I’m betraying her trust. My past life’s parents were very clear about it: family is the most important thing is someone’s life. There was even a recurrent motto in my house, about how we own our family the heaven. (The complete motto goes like this: “For the family, heaven. And for the enemy, hell is just a nice playground they would wish for.”)

Yeah, that’s why I’d rather wait for grandmother to tell me about her life personally.

But even if I don’t know exactly what happened, my opinion regarding the Brightowl Family, the one who rules over the Fortress City of Silverhold, as well as the surrounding villages, including Doveshire... well, let’s say it’s not a favorable one.

Maybe that’s the reason why I dislike Rustford’s mayor, that rat-like man named Faris, for he is working under the Silverhold’s Landlord, Claude Brightowl.

Nah, I dislike Faris as a whole person either way.

I expelled the thoughts of these annoying people while looking for Dak. For the goddess’ love, the boy would come every night to eat our food anyway, so I don’t understand why I have to invite him over every time.

But you know, hehe, if it’s for a friend, I don’t actually mind...

A small village girl was staring at me with a strange look in her eyes, I sincerely hope I was not doing a weird face.

But I can’t help myself, I finally got a friend of similar age! I mean, we have a strange friendship, but I still think it’s valid. At least it looks more like a real friendship than the relation I have with grandma, who is, well, my grandmother and therefore obliged to love me, and with Brann, with whom I share a healthy working relationship (let’s just tactfully ignore the ‘Mary’s Puppet’ title.)

Dak and I still suffer a bit with the communication issue, but we’re trying to overcome it. I got myself a friend while preventing the rising of a ruffian in my village. Yes, I think there is some good profits here.

I left Brann’s house earlier than usual. I made our virtuous chief asked around, and it seems Dak was last seen at the village’s gate, around half an hour ago. Well, I’ve got to say, that’s a bit interesting. Before being acquaintance with him, I have already noticed Dak’s inclination towards a little escape to the woods. Quite intriguing hobby of his...

Since Doveshire has a small territory, I quickly arrived at our village’s gate. The wooden fence looked better after its renovation some years ago, and the red color gives it a bit of sophistication, but no matter how you see it, it was still just a wooden fence. The kind you’d think was built up just as a prompt solution, but that would give place to a more solid fence in a long-term plan.

Well, that was probably the intention, but a more solid fence proved to be unneeded.

Maybe one could think, such a tiny and unimportant village in the corner of the kingdom, why would a gate even be necessary?

Of course, this specific line of thought makes sense if we’re just talking about a normal peripheral village, but Doveshire’s location is a bit... special.

Because bordering our little town, lies the hostile Bhagavaan Krodh Forest.

fufufu, yes, can you feel it? Just the name is enough to inspire dread on people’s mind. Even if you have no idea what it means, this combination of letters, the sonority of those words, they are already intimidating by itself. It evokes power. That’s a nice name, don’t you think?

The forest is named as such, because once upon a time, when demons were just a group of undeveloped species, and humans were still thinking about being born, there was a Dragon. His name was Bhagavaan Krodh.

Dragons are, by Nature’s Law, already a freakish existence. But this dragon was even larger, stronger and more powerful than the conventional. And then, out of the ashes, a hero ascended...!

No, this is not this kind of story. Bhagavaan Krodh was already an ancient being before any humanoid sapient life-form has populated Accardi. By the time the first demoniac arrangements were being formed, he was so old as the land itself.

So he died.

Yep, no epic battle, no legendary hero. The dragon died of old age. Many humans may think that dragons possess immortality, and considering their abnormally long life-span, it can be said as such.

But one day, even the so called immortality comes to an end.

From his remains, the largest forest in Accardi flourished. Not so surprisingly, that’s Bhagavaan Krodh Forest. This belonged to the game’s settings, and I remember how I spent days searching for the perfect mighty and cool dragon name for this, but then... then... then the people of the real world changed it because it was too difficult to pronounce?!?!?

I CANNOT ACCEPT IT.

The thing is, I can’t even blame that useless writer, because he had actually kept the name. But when the game and the novel became reality... there was some slightly convenient modifications. The official name was too arduous to say, so the forest gained a popular nickname.

Dragon Grave Forest.

...

Yes, I know. At least, at the northwest region of Saran Kingdom (more specifically, around Doveshire’s territory), the forest has another denomination: Gnúis Woods.

But no matter how it’s called, the truth remains the same. The forest is a highly dangerous place, a deadly zone filled with strong magic beasts. Its core region is easily placed at the top of Namör Continent’s Forbidden Places. The Fortress City of Silverhold gained its fame by holding against the powerful attacks of those wild beasts.

And then, one may ask, how could we possibly explain the existence of Doveshire? A place that, in the game, was known as the beginner’s village, and in reality, it’s also somewhere you would send novices adventurers that didn’t want to pay a dungeon’s entrance fee to train. How could such a peaceful environment coexist with such a chaotic forest?

Yes, that was once the most mysterious question of Namör Continent’s Southeast Region. According to some documents at Brann’s house, a couple of hundred years ago, many people, from scholars to mages to curious nobles, came to Doveshire seeking for an answer. They never got one, so the question was gradually forgotten, until it became an accepted fact.

It’s like this, and that’s it. Maybe the goddess wanted so.

The situation is just as I could wish for. A regiment of people trying to understand what really happens at Doveshire would be troublesome at best. Especially because I’m actually digging out the one thing responsible for such an abnormality.

The one thing that is at fault for the fact that just F ranked magic beasts lives in the region.

The one thing related to the massacre in Doveshire some years from now.

The one thing guilty of creating a big Boss in the future.

And also... the one thing responsible for the name we like to call Bhagavaan Krodh Forest.

Gnúis Woods.

I think it’s fascinating how the people of Accardi, living in such a magical world, create their own mythical creatures. Gnúis is one of those. A strange mix of horse and an owl. And while a winged horse like-creature may seem novel, it looks nothing like the noble Pegasus. Instead, it’s a disgusting monster, with a body covered by eyes. It lives in an underground cave, watching the world above with his 360 pairs of red eyes. If it sees someone being cruel or bad, it would rise from the ground and eat that person’s heart.

Yep, it’s not pretty. And while a Gnúis is most used as a night story to scary naughty children, it fits uncomfortably well with the forest surrounding Doveshire.

I looked at the dark woods before me. I knew that there was no immediate danger, especially at day time and close to the outskirts. However, even without stepping inside the forest, I could feel it.

A light, almost non-existence pressure coming from it. I knew by personal experience, that the longer you remained at the forest, the heavier that pressure would be. You’d feel being watched by all of Gnúis’ 360 pairs of red eyes. Your heart you start beating dangerously fast, your hands would sweat, your head would hurt, you’d feel presences around you and paranoia would consume you. After you leave the forest, those reactions would disappear. Maybe you’d say to yourself ‘Oh, goddess, I was just overreacting.’, and probably you’d even forget about the experience.

But then, you’d step inside the woods one more time...

Take care, little child. The Gnúis is coming to catch you.